Head of International Rights Group Acknowledges Promising Reforms in Syria, But Notes Democracy is Still Absent

BEIRUT (AP) The head of Amnesty International stated on Saturday that Syrias new leadership has initiated measures suggesting a willingness to pursue reform, transitional justice, and reconciliation, though true democratic progress remains absent. A year after President Bashar Assads government fell, Agnes Callamard, who visited Damascus this week, noted that the existence of legal reform proposals before parliament, transitional justice committees, and the involvement of international human rights experts indicate that some changes are underway in Syria.

These are promising indicators, but their depth is limited, Callamard told The Associated Press. Requests for comments from Syrian officials on Saturday were not immediately answered.

Since Assads ousting in an offensive led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham under interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the country has remained unstable. Government-aligned forces were implicated earlier this year in sectarian attacks against Druze and Alawite communities in coastal regions and the southern province of Sweida, resulting in hundreds of fatalities.

The state has established committees to investigate the violence in Sweida, and trials of those accused of participating in coastal attacks in March began last week. Over the past year, numerous former Assad-era officials have been detained and are expected to face charges for long-standing human rights abuses in Syria.

Callamard reported that Syrian authorities, including the justice minister, informed her that hundreds of detainees are held in connection with crimes committed under the previous regime. There appears to be a plan to draft charges soon, she said, questioning the legal basis for the arrests and the authorities responsible for trying them. She emphasized that urgent legal reforms are necessary because some of the gravest international crimes have not yet been codified into Syrian law.

During her visit, Callamard met with members of the National Commission on Transitional Justice and the National Commission for the Missing to discuss evidence collection from Assad-era prisons. She noted that the process is ongoing and will be lengthy and slow. Unlike in Ukraine, where European nations have deployed expert teams to aid investigations into atrocities, she observed, Nothing comparable is occurring in Syria. That needs to change.

The international community must take a leap of faith and respond to the Syrian peoples call for change, Callamard stated. She highlighted that, in the absence of international support, small civil society organizations are currently providing most evidence of past abuses.

Reflecting on her brief visit, Callamard remarked, Syria is treated as a problem to be contained. Very few countries seem ready to take the necessary risks, and without that support, the current efforts may not be sustainable.

Last month, Syria conducted its first parliamentary elections since Assads departure. However, no direct popular vote occurred. Two-thirds of the 210 assembly seats were determined through province-based electoral colleges according to population, while the remaining third were appointed directly by al-Sharaa. The new parliament will serve a 30-month term while laying the groundwork for future elections.

Analysis: Early Signs of Reform in Syria

During my recent visit to Damascus, I observed that Syria’s new leadership has taken preliminary steps toward legal and political reform. The establishment of transitional justice committees, ongoing investigations into past abuses, and engagement with international human rights experts suggest some willingness to address the country’s longstanding issues.

However, the depth and pace of these measures remain limited. Key challenges include the absence of comprehensive legal codification for international crimes, the slow process of gathering evidence from Assad-era detention facilities, and the lack of robust international support for investigations.

While the first parliamentary elections under the interim government were conducted, they lacked direct popular participation and relied heavily on provincial electoral colleges and appointments by the interim president. This underscores that democratic progress is still minimal.

In summary, Syria shows tentative steps toward reform, but without substantial international engagement and legal reforms, these efforts risk being insufficient to achieve meaningful transitional justice and reconciliation.

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• International rights group chief says Syria's reforms are promising but democracy is still lacking